One Souvenir I Always Buy On Vacation

This tradition started with Joyce, my friend’s mom. She always had tons of magnets. I’m not talking the insurance promotion magnet or the freebies from the dentist. Joyce had good magnets. Pretty magnets. Mostly of Labrador pups, her favorite breed. I was always in awe of those magnets.

Her daughter, my friend, had started the tradition of buying magnets from the places she visited and I’ve followed suit. We’ve been friends since we were three years old. I don’t think she was surprised I took on the tradition. We’re as close as sisters and what sister doesn’t borrow a good idea from her sibling. I’m sure she’ll read this at some point and so to her, I say thank you!

Why I recommend souvenir magnets

They are useful and tough

This seems obvious, but can you really have too many? I don’t know about you, but I put all the photos I get from friends and family on my fridge. My son’s artwork shows up there too. I need magnets to hold all that stuff up. As souvenirs go, they’re pretty indestructible. I’ve had a couple magnets come apart but add a bit of glue and they are as good as new! Literally the maintenance is slim to none.

They are cheap and easy to find

I can buy a magnet for less than a bottle of water in some places. Vacations are already expensive enough, a cheap souvenir is right up my alley and most tourist shops seem to carry them, I’ve never had issues finding a magnet. There seems to be an abundance, now even the airports have a decent selection. Perfect for the oh-man-I-forgot-a-souvenir moments.

They are small and lightweight

I think we’ve all been there, when you’re standing at the baggage drop, holding your breath, hoping that extra pair of sandals didn’t put you over the weight limit. A magnet is lightweight and you can pop it in your pocket and you’ll barely notice it.

You won’t out grow them and they don’t go out of style

My son grows at lightening fast speed. I blink and he’s shot up another inch. On our last vacation, my husband and I bought three super cute souvenir t-shirts for our son. He looks so cute in them but I’m pretty sure they will only last a couple months before he hits his next growth spurt. You know what you don’t outgrow—magnets! Speaking of outgrowing things, I’m sure you know someone who still has the neon t-shirt from some beach vacation. I’m sure it’s crazy comfortable and yes, we all have these tees. We love them, but they probably should be retired from the public eye, don’t you agree.

You can even make your own

This one is probably my favorite. Find your favorite photo from your trip and turn it into a magnet. There are plenty of websites that you can upload your photos to and have them mount the image to a magnet. I’ve used shutterfly in the past, but I believe Walgreens, Walmart and similar places all have this service available.

You can expand beyond vacation souvenirs

More and more events are offering magnets as souvenirs. I’ve gotten magnets from fun runs, museums, and tourist attractions. They’re popping up everywhere, seems like the right time to get on board.

Start your magnet tradition today!